Wonderful trail, definitely moderate especially with the snow pack on the trail. It's highly recommended to use ice cleats as the second half of the trail is all packed snow which turned to ice in many spots. Beautiful views along the way and at the top. Mostly an uphill hike on the way in.
Not enough fresh snow today for snowshoes so they would be cumbersome on the packed snow but would provide better traction than plain boots.

Did this in late June 2017. Incredible hike and not particularly strenuous, but the altitude is no joke if you are not acclimated. We spent about 5 days in Steamboat Springs before attempting Ida on the way back to Denver, and I was still getting winded. Get to the trailhead early, to get a parking spot, and so that you can be back down below the treeline by early afternoon, as thunderstorms can pop up unexpectedly. We lost the trail for a bit in the switchbacks because it was a little muddy and snow covered, but once you are above the trees it's easy to follow until you get near the summit. There you will be scrambling over boulders for a while. There are cairns all over the place and its hard to tell where the real trail is, but just keep heading up. We were lucky enough to be there in peak wildflower season, it was very colorful. Watch your pack at the top because there are a few very brave marmots up there. Wear layers and bring a hat as it gets very windy above the trees. We moved at a pretty good clip, spent about 20 minutes at the top, jogged for short stints on the way down and completed it in just over 4 hours, logging 9.6 miles total. Most people will just park and look at the lake by the trailhead, a few will hike a ways into the trees, but we only encountered 3 or 4 other small groups above the trees. Amazing views all along this route!

Snow is ankle-deep until the landslide, then begins to deepen. Having only brought microspikes (and knowing that I might have to turn around because of this), I continued 2/3 of the way up the trail before turning around due to postholing up to my knees in places. Snowshoes would be optimal. Good route-finding skills and a map are essential this time of year--I nearly lost the trail a few times in the switchbacks due to snow obscuring the trail's clarity.

I was the only one there this morning and the quiet trek through the snowy woods was beautiful, especially when the sun came out and splashed through the pines to illuminate the forest. Definitely looking forward to returning either with snowshoes or in the summer.

Additionally, with the snow cover at least, the portion of this trail I completed I would rate as only moderate at most.

Did this hike on OCT 29, 2017. Only had one day to hike to in RMNP, and very glad I chose this trail! Trailhead is well-marked with a few parking spots. Some guidebooks reported that some of the early trail junctions were confusing, but when I hiked it there were very clear signs at every junction with no difficulty in route-finding. Gradual elevation gain with great views of Rockies and Longs Peak. Trail Descends slightly into Finch Lake, which is absolutely beautiful (and had finches). I think it is the additional time and elevation gain (a little inside 1,000ft additional gain) to Pear lake which makes this hike "difficult", but definitely worth it. Pear lake is amazing with fantastic views. Very windy in late October once out of the trees at the lake. There was snow but it wasn't prohibitive or required anything other than hiking boots. However, it did snow heavily the day after the hike, so I assume this is probably the latest in the year you could do it without winter weather gear. The two lakes together roundtrip on my Garmin was 14.4 miles, and we finished just before sundown.

Were it summertime with a little more daylight and less wind, I think it'd be totally cool to make it up to the third lake (Hutcheson Lakes)- an additional 1.8mi and 800 or so foot gain…

Trail was in good condition (received about 8 inches the night before). Soft-Packed trail all the way up to 11,400 ft (just before tree line). Snowshoes came in handy breaking trail to the summit (would have been fine with micro spikes and gators). Had a hard time finding the trail but eventually made it. Beautiful day!

Pleasant hike with a steady, but not too bad, incline. Hard packed snow throughout most of the hike, some kind of traction would have been helpful but not required. I just had old worn out, non waterproof hiking shoes and I made it to the top just fine. The views at the top are awesome!

Beautiful day! Hiked 1/16/18. Some hard packed snow. Slipped once on the way back down. Great hike, beautiful views. I have a pair of micro-spikes, but didn't wear them, thus my slipping on the way down. Poles should be ok, or some kind of traction. Just take it easy.

A trail with an amazing view, but be warned - it is VERY exposed. The moderate rating does not reflect its difficulty during high winds. I climbed it during stupidly strong winds, and I would definitely advise against that. I hiked multiple 14ers that were easier than this trail.

That said, it is incredibly beautiful, and I only encountered 2 other groups of hikers.

We loved this trail and recommend it highly. Current conditions as of Jan 8: mix of snow, ice, and dirt for the first 1.5 miles. Relatively continuous hard-packed snow for the last 1.5 miles. I used YakTrax the entire time; partner had spikes. We appreciated both. Trail is well worn in by bootpack and therefore easy to follow. When you're within about .75 miles of the summit, you'll start descending. A sign marks the right turn (and ascent) to the summit for the last .1 miles or so.

We arrived around 9:20 on a Monday and were the second car (there's street parking). Saw only one person on the way up. A few more parties on the descent. Wind was very calm today, but be sure to check the forecast.

Got to the trailhead around 9:30am. Only 2 other cars at the trailhead. First part of trail before switchback was off and on icy and dry dirt. Pretty icy going up the rest of the way, would highly recommend traction devices. Not too windy up at top, but a panorama view of several mountains, lakes and town of Estes Park. You can even see your own car from the top! 10/10 would recommend.

Excellent day out! Great hike be prepared needed spikes for traction icy in many spots but for this time of year no snow to speak of and that’s amazing. Excellent views of Longs Peak and RMNP trail was in great shape !!

We just hiked this trail and it took us about 3 hours to complete. There was ice starting about half way up. Although we made it up without them, we wished we would have had either poles or micro spikes. Definitely worth the hike!

Awesome hike. Pack of snow and ice for most of the trail. Need to use micro-spikes all the way up until above treeline. No snow at top but very windy,a few more layers will help. The trail is on moose territory, there are 3 of them, Watch out for that. All day, met only 2 groups of hikers.

First trail I’ve ever hiked. Took me little over two and a half hours to hike up there and back down. That excludes the time I took to relax at the peak and take pictures. The north face of the mountain has hard packed snow and ice, so be careful. I had crampons with me but I was too stubborn to put them on. Gorgeous views throughout the hike. I’d do it again.